May 6, 2026
In response, the state child welfare agency says it “takes the welfare of every child in its care seriously, including the unique needs of immigrant youth.”
Washington state’s child welfare system is flouting its duty to protect the best interests of immigrant children in their custody, a newly filed lawsuit alleges. And by failing to address immigration-related needs — such as helping youth apply for needed legal protections — the state leaves them at risk of deportation and blocks their ability to receive public benefits, the suit contends.
The class-action suit was filed Monday in King County Superior Court by the national nonprofit Children’s Rights, and private law firms McDermott Will & Schulte, and Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala. The state of Washington is named as a defendant, along with the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and Tana Senn, its secretary.